People who want to be small are taking small pictures of Ozempic.
Doctors say “microdosing” of weight loss drugs is becoming increasingly common, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“It’s basically a tailored approach to administering Ozempic to suit an individual’s needs,” Dr. Britta Reinerson, a board-certified family physician and obesity medicine expert, told USA Today.
“What we are concerned about is when this is happening without the guidance of medical professionals.”
Weight loss drugs like Ozempic have caused a frenzy in Hollywood and other fields, despite reports of harmful side effects, resulting in drug shortages and resulting off-brand counterfeits. Ta.
Patients are now flocking to specialists seeking prescriptions for drugs to be taken in small doses. brag about your progress online.
Dr. Brett Osborn, a neurosurgeon and longevity expert, told USA Today that sometimes microdosing weight loss drugs is used to reduce weight significantly with a standard dose and reduce weight gain with a smaller dose of the drug. He explained that it is effective for those who want it. .
“Medications should not be stopped,” he said. “Just keep pumping gas, even in small amounts, and your weight loss will be maintained.”
Alia Basilnia, M.D., a lipedema surgeon in charge of the Severe Lipedema Treatment Program at Roxbury Institute, blames social media for increasing interest in drugs like Ozempic, even among people who don’t necessarily need it. denounce.
“I think a lot of it has to do with social media,” he told USA Today. “It was the same in the celebrity scene…people were talking about it on podcasts, so there’s a lot of interest.”
Dr Alexandra Sowa, an obesity medicine expert and founder of SoWell, said she was inundated with people seeking the once-weekly jab microdosing.
She suspects that this rise is partly related to “.Ozempic’s shame”, the term was coined to describe the stigma surrounding the drug’s use as a weight loss aid.
“When it comes to weight management, there’s often a lot of bias and prejudice from both the clinician and patient side, and people’s brains often want to tell us they can out-compete the system,” she says. he told the magazine.
“Patients are going to feel better about the fact that they’re taking the drug at a lower dose. And really, what we need to get to the root of is making this patient feel whole from the beginning.” “Let’s get it. There’s nothing wrong with using drugs,” she continued.
Additionally, the rising prices of weight loss drugs may mean that some cash-strapped users are rationing their drug supplies without proper medical guidance.
Experts are now concerned that patients prescribed Ozempic may try microdosing at home, potentially causing side effects, Osborne warned. Patients should always consult their doctor before taking any new medication or changing the dosage.
“Don’t blame this on the medicine. It’s not the medicine,” he says. “As physicians, the burden is on us to be able to adjust the dosage.”
